The Alchemical Patronage of Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley

you wold fear to be proved such one here, because of danger of severe punishment‖. 121
Cecil‘s experiences with de Lannoy twenty years earlier had taught him to be cautious of
promises of outright alchemical riches.
Despite his concerns, Cecil reassured Kelley that the Queen still very much desired
the benefit of his alchemical skills. The Lord Treasurer of England, in the same
sycophantic terms he usually received from those seeking patronage, wrote that
such is my creditt in Mr Dyar, such is my allowance of your loyall
profession, such opinion I do firmly conceave of your wisdom and lerning
expressed in your l[ett]res, such also is my perswasion of your abillite to
perform that which Mr Dyar hath reported, by reason of that estimation
honor and credit I see that you have gotten by your behaviour 122
Cecil assured Kelley that his only complaint was that the alchemist delayed coming home
to serve his monarch. He mentioned that the Queen had personally written to Kelley, a
remarkable indication of her personal interest in the possibility of alchemical profits. After
urging Kelley not to delay, Cecil thanked him for his gift of a ―mountayn, or rock...which I
will place in my house wher I do bestow other rare thyngs of workmanshipp‖, which
Wilding speculates may have been a German Handstein ―a model of a mountain made up of
assays of ore, stone and crystal‖. 123 If so it was a substantial present: Handstein were highly
valued, princely gifts. 124 Cecil also requested ―some small recept from you, that might
comfort my spyritts in myn age...for I esteme helth above welth‖, further illustrating Cecil
belief in the efficacy of alchemical medicines. 125
Kelley‘s reply strongly denied all of the accusations made against him by ―these
Bablers‖, especially reports of him being an impostor. 126 Kelley directly accused anyone
spreading the rumours of being ―a knave and that he lyeth in his throte, and will mayntain
yt with my swoord upon his Carkas wheresoever I can or shall fynde yt‖. 127 Returning to
121 Ibid.
122 Ibid.
123 Ibid.; Wilding, ‗A Biography of Edward Kelly‘, p. 27.
124 Gordon Campbell, Renaissance Art and Architecture, Oxford, 2004, p. 126.
125 Cecil to Kelley, Lansdowne Vol. 103 no. 73.
126 Kelley to Cecil, 24 July 1590, TNA, SP 81/6 f.56r.
127 Ibid. f. 57v.
96